Friday, June 21, 2013

1959 TOPPS ROCKY COLAVITO

NOT LONG FOR CLEVELAND IN '59.

HIS ARM WAS A NATURAL FIT FOR RIGHT FIELD.

THE FRONT PAGE

Rocky Colavito was Cleveland's favorite son who rose to prominence in the 1950s after dropping out of school and signing with the Indians at age 17. He was a 26-year-old star slugger coming off a 42-homer season when he was traded in the spring of '60. The Curse of Rocky Colavito was born. The Indians, second in the AL at 89-65 in '59, wouldn't finish that high again until '94 nor surpass that win total until winning 100 games in '95.

THE BACK PAGE

The '59 backs ooze vintage, but this cartoon is a tad strange.

Rocco certainly tore up the minors.

PHOTO PLAY

The face of the franchise wasn't long for Cleveland because home runs are overrated.

EXTRA, EXTRA

Colavito's said his decision to drop out of high school as a sophomore was a mistake because he feared it set a bad example for kids. Spoken like a true role model.

In addition to his power, he was blessed with a powerful arm. He could stand at home plate and throw a ball over the fence more than 400 feet away.

Finished with 374 home runs, 190 for Cleveland in two separate stints. On June 10, 1959, Colavito hit four homers in a game against the Orioles at Memorial Stadium. Interestingly, in The Sporting News that came out that day, it listed Colavito and Eddie Mathews as having the best chance one day to break Babe Ruth's season home run record of 60.

After averaging 26 home runs and 75 RBI in his first five seasons with the Indians, the reigning AL home run champ was traded to the Tigers in April 1960 for the reigning AL batting champ (Harvey Kuenn) who was coming off a .353 season.

Indians fans did everything but storm the front office with pitchforks, torches and hounds. "Don't Knock The Rock,'' a popular battle cry for years along the Cuyahoga, was never more popular. Cleveland GM Frank "Trader'' Lane threw gas on the fire by saying the home run was overrated. Manager Joe Gordon agreed. The Ghost of Ruth stirred.

Reds GM Gabe Paul summed up the deal succinctly: "The Indians traded a slow guy with power for a slow guy with no power.'' Paul would have the power to undo the damage five years later but at a cost.

The Tigers opened the '60 season in Cleveland, and Colavito struck out four times in the opener. In the next game, he struck back with two home runs and three RBI.

Colavito hit 35 homers, drove in 87 and batted .249 in '60; Kuenn hit .308 with nine homers and 54 RBI as the Indians finished fourth in the AL with a 76-78 record.

In four years with the Tigers, Colavito hit 139 homers, an average of 34 a season, before being traded to Kansas City in November '63.

After one season with the Athletics in which he swatted another 34, Colavito was reacquired by Paul, now the Tribe GM, for '65. In doing so, though, he gave up lefty Tommy John, who would win 288 games, and outfielder Tommie Agee, who would win the '66 AL Rookie of the Year. Still, the trade was wildly popular with Indians fans.

A crowd of more than 44,000 attended Opening Day to welcome back The Rock, who hit a two-run homer. He'd go on to hit .287 with 25 homers and lead the AL with 108 RBI. He started in right field for the AL in the '65 All-Star Game.

Had his last All-Star season in '66 with 30 HRs and 72 RBI, but he hit a career low .238.

He was a platoon player for most of his last two seasons divided among three teams.

On Aug. 25, 1968, while with his hometown Yankees in his last season, Colavito was called on to pitch, going 2.1 innings and getting the victory. He was the last position player to earn a victory until Brent Mayne in 2000 for, who else, the Rockies.

In '94, Terry Pluto wrote The Curse of Rocky Colavito, which details the slide of the franchise after its iconic slugger was misguidedly traded.

Sponsors

A Game for Collectors

Bill Lee wrote baseball is a game for collectors: Teams collect wins and losses; players collect stats; and fans collect souvenirs. Think about it.

How About That!

Hall of Fame right-hander Ted Lyons, who pitched in the majors from 1923-'42 and in '46, attended Baylor University on a scholarship, A TROMBONE SCHOLARSHIP. At a football game against Texas A&M, a skirmish erupted and Lyons, shown here on his 1991 Conlon Collection card, became involved. His trombone was destroyed and he lost his scholarship. As Mel Allen would say, HOW ABOUT THAT!

1993 Topps Finest

It's certainly among mankind's greatest mysteries, up there with the Bermuda Triangle, the Turin Shroud and Steve Buscemi's teeth: Brady Anderson hitting 50 homers in 1996. The leadoff man never had hit more than 21.

500 HR Club

You're looking at a 1939 Play Ball Mel Ott, maybe the most underrated member who clubbed 511 homers in 22 years -- all for the New York Baseball Giants.

Autograph Memories

The show was packed; it was held on the floor of the Sun Dome on the campus of the University of South Florida. My wife was with me, and we stood for well over an hour. When we got closer, I could see why: Mick and Whitey were posing for pictures and cutting up like two miscreant fourth-graders. The Duke of Drink was jovial on this day.

Autos from the Archives

Howard cracked 382 homers during his 16-year career that began in earnest in '60 when he was named the NL Rookie of the Year. Known as The Capital Punisher, Howard was a hulking and intimidating presence at the plate despite a genteel personality.

Card Art

''The world's a puzzle; no need to make sense of it.''

Commentary

We should all be so lucky to live on Delmon's planet, if there's room, a place so far removed from Earth that employees get bonuses for doing the things expected of them. How does $500 offered randomly six times a year sound for getting to work on time and before the boss comes creeping around the corner?

Common Valor

What's interesting is Terwilliger, who played and coached in professional baseball for 62 years, eventually did get that left ear pierced. This modern-day rite of passage occurred in 2006 after his Fort Worth Cats won the independent Central Baseball League championship. He made a promise the year before to take the needle if they won. In doing so, he quite possibly became the hippest 81-year-old ever.

Face Time

Not all Hungarians are perpetually pissed off. ... But Al Hrabosky was. The Mad Hungarian was certified psycho, a fireman so crazy he's rumored to have once carjacked the bullpen cart in between games of a doubleheader.

Inside the Album

You can flip through this 528-card set 528 times a day and it never gets stale. Following Upper Deck's lead in 1989, the Leaf brand returned and offered a sweet high-end collection of cards.

Names of the Game

It's a Name of the Game that's turned many an adult into a giggly, pimply juvenile when holding his cards, Beavis and Butt-head and me foremost.

Oddball Roll Call

An interesting card because Bill Lee wanted to become a forest ranger.

Pursue the Pennants

So I venture out on this quest with 392 cards, including 34 of 43 short-prints, 65.5 percent complete. What a perfect starting percentage. I have a long way to go but hopefully a long time to get there. You will be witnesses here at The Cardboard Examiner.

Said

"Rickey don't like it when Rickey can't find Rickey's limo.''

Slurpee Stars

Some 43 years later, here's to the 1970 Orioles, and Viva La Brooksie!

Youthful Dispatches

Evel was the X Games before the X Games. John Wayne on a motorcycle. The wild child swinging and swilling from a cane filled with Wild Turkey. The Hell's Angel cracking his own skull. The greaser with balls bigger than the cuffs on his leather jumpsuits.

Murphy & Mattingly

How do you measure the value of a player? Championships? Home runs? WAR? OPS+? Mattingly & Murphy were about more than numbers. To me, they were about eye black. A dirty uniform. A single batting glove. Flip-up sunglasses. Stirrups. Hustling.

PSA Envy

While you and I collect for the love of it, these PSAers are out to win mythical card collecting titles and the notoriety that it must bring. The urge to slip on a foam No. 1 and parade around is irresistible for some. To me, it sounds like another way of measuring who has the biggest, uh, well you know.

1962 Topps Don Zimmer

For Don Zimmer, baseball is indeed life. For the rest of us, it's merely a T-shirt.

1959 Topps Rocky Colavito

Rocky Colavito was Cleveland's favorite son who rose to prominence in the 1950s after dropping out of school and signing with the Indians at age 17. He was a 26-year-old star slugger coming off a 42-homer season when he was traded in the spring of '60. The Curse of Rocky Colavito was born.